Marvin Barkis, the last Democratic speaker of the Kansas House, died on Friday. He was 81.
Barkis, a lawyer who was credited with leading efforts to pass the state's school finance formula, served in the Kansas House from 1979 to 1993.
His time in the Legislature included a stint as minority leader from 1984 to 1990 before he took the reins as speaker in 1991 and 1992.
He was just the third Democrat to lead the Kansas House.
"Speaker Barkis championed legislation throughout his career that propelled our schools forward and supported Kansas families," Gov. Laura Kelly said.
"His . . .
SSJ
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